Tauranga-born opera singer Anna Mahon is returning home in July for a special performance in support of the local branch of the Registered Music Teachers.

Mahon will perform at Wesley Church on Thirteenth Ave at 2pm on Sunday, July 19, accompanied by pianist Francis Cowan. Following the concert she will conduct a masterclass at 3.30pm with four students which will be open to the public to attend.

Now based in Switzerland, the soprano has built an international opera career while maintaining strong ties to her hometown and the Bay of Plenty music community.

Mahon was born and raised in Tauranga, growing up in Welcome Bay and discovered her love of performance at an early age through school productions at Selwyn Ridge Primary School.

“I’d figured out pretty early that I had a musical gift and was very comfortable on stage – it was where I felt like the most expansive, most confident, most invigorated version of myself,” she said.

After attending Tauranga Girls’ College, where music teacher Stephanie Geor encouraged her to pursue singing lessons, Mahon went on to complete an honours degree in music at the University of Waikato, majoring in classical singing under Glenese Blake.

Her career took her to Auckland, where she performed with the Freemasons New Zealand Opera Chorus and became an NZ Opera resident artist before moving overseas to further develop her craft.

“Anyone wanting to pursue opera as a career needs to make the move abroad,” Mahon said.

Despite the challenges Covid brought to the performing arts sector, Mahon continued building her career in Europe, basing herself in Germany and Italy and securing her first major roles, including Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro and Valencienne in Die lustige Witwe.

Since 2023, she has been based in St Gallen, Switzerland, after winning a position with Konzert und Theater St Gallen. She performs full-time in the opera choir as a first soprano while also taking solo roles.

Career highlights so far include performing Sandmännchen and Taumännchen in Hänsel und Gretel and Vierte Magd in Elektra.

Back home, Mahon became well-known during the pandemic for helping launch the Opera in Giardino garden concerts in Tauranga.

Meaning ‘Opera in the Garden’ in Italian, the performances were designed to comply with Level 2 restrictions, with audiences limited to hosts and invited guests in private gardens.

Alongside performing, Mahon has also developed a passion for teaching and now works privately with singers and amateur choirs, helping students improve vocal technique and stage confidence.

“I find this work incredibly rewarding and fulfilling – the joy your students experience when they progress is infectious,” she said.

Mahon said she is looking forward to reconnecting with local audiences and students during her July visit to New Zealand.

Anna Mahon’s concert is at 2pm, July 19 at Wesley Church, Thirteenth Ave, followed by the masterclass at 3.30pm. Concert tickets cost $30 for adults and $10 for students, and masterclass tickets cost $20 for adults and $5 for students. Tickets can be purchased by phoning Kathy Stewart on 0276691168, or email: chantal.audy@gmail.com, or cash at the door.